Welcome,
Guest
Login
or
Register
Need Bees Removed?
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
»
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER
»
DISEASE & PEST CONTROL
»
Wax moths destroyed hive
« previous
next »
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Down
Author
Topic: Wax moths destroyed hive (Read 6917 times)
sweetdonna27601
New Bee
Posts: 5
Gender:
Wax moths destroyed hive
«
on:
January 19, 2011, 02:08:09 am »
I recently found one of my hives had been destroyed by wax moths. I cleaned all the webs and cocoon looking things from the hive and the frames and I even ran a blow torch over the surface of the hive and each frame to be sure all the eggs were gone. Do you think it will be ok to put bees back in this hive in the spring, or should I just trash it?
Logged
hardwood
Galactic Bee
Posts: 3482
Gender:
Alysian Apiaries youtube.com/MrBeedude
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #1 on:
January 19, 2011, 02:14:30 am »
You'll be fine reusing the frames and boxes...even the comb if you didn't trash it too much. A strong hive will take care of it for you.
Where are you sweetdonna? If you're in a climate that gets cold in winter (it'd help if you put your location in your profile :) ) the freezes will kill the eggs and larvae so keep them outside. If not, stow them in your freezer.
Scott
Logged
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
sweetdonna27601
New Bee
Posts: 5
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #2 on:
January 19, 2011, 02:26:07 am »
Thanks, hardwood. I am in lower Alabama, about 30 miles from the Florida line.
All the wax was totally destroyed...it was a mess.
I have not had experience with wax moths before, so I wasn't sure how to handle it. The guys at my beekeeping club didn't know for sure either. Guess I'll try it come spring.
Logged
wd
Field Bee
Posts: 548
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #3 on:
January 19, 2011, 02:17:50 pm »
This was in a hive with no occupants. While they were there, they appeared to have kept the wax moth at bay. I saw them in a propolis trap just under the top cover but didn't notice any else where. At the suggestion / advice of others here I reused the gold comb last year.
I did scrape the edges and cleaned up the webs and cocoons, I was going to use what was left for swarms, instead I reused them in honey boxes, it worked out fine. I cleaned up what was left of the darkest comb with a pressure washer but I did keep a few frames of the dark stuff for swarms, nothing happened with that though.
I thought the wax moth cleaned this first one up pretty good.
Logged
VolunteerK9
Super Bee
Posts: 1647
Gender:
Gamecock fan in UT land.
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #4 on:
January 19, 2011, 03:44:07 pm »
Buy yourself some BT and treat all your drawn comb to save future damage. I just bought myself some and plan on treating mine in a week or so. Drawn comb is a very valuable commodity.
Logged
AllenF
Galactic Bee
Posts: 8192
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #5 on:
January 19, 2011, 08:22:34 pm »
Ya, bt or stick them in the freezer.
Logged
Michael Bush
Universal Bee
Posts: 19931
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #6 on:
January 19, 2011, 09:15:05 pm »
Brush off the webs and put a package of bees or a swarm in it.
Logged
My website:
bushfarms.com/bees.htm
en espanol:
bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm
auf deutsche:
bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm
em portugues:
bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:
ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin
wd
Field Bee
Posts: 548
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #7 on:
January 20, 2011, 03:46:17 am »
do I need to say this? I don't know but I will, I left this hive and one other sit with out occupants for awhile in hopes a swarm would land which didn't happen. Each were in a different location with apiaries a mile or so from where these sat. Some where during this time I managed to develop the idea that the wax on these frames were contaminated beyond wax moth. In using some for bait hives, bees, perhaps scouts would show up but it didn't work out.
Logged
Scadsobees
Galactic Bee
Posts: 3198
Gender:
Best use of smileys in a post award.
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #8 on:
January 20, 2011, 09:05:05 am »
wd...wax moths are usually a opportunistic secondary pest. So if you leave any unprotected hive out when the temps are going to be higher than the 50s (i don't know the actual temp range that the moths work in) then you are inviting them in.
Any comb that I leave around over the summer will have caterpillers (moth larvae). Comb left to try to attract a swarm should not be any kind of comb that you want to keep. But judging from your pics they didn't do any significant damage, that's the beauty of plastic frames....
And usually there is about a 2 month window of opportunity when the bulk of swarms is, and if you limit your comb exposure to that period of time you can minimize moth damage.
Rick
Logged
Rick
wd
Field Bee
Posts: 548
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #9 on:
January 20, 2011, 10:48:30 am »
ok, thanks...
Logged
sweetdonna27601
New Bee
Posts: 5
Gender:
Re: Wax moths destroyed hive
«
Reply #10 on:
January 22, 2011, 01:34:30 am »
Thanks, everyone.... I'll just put them on as soon as things get started again this spring. I do feel a lot better about using the boxes and frames after seeing what everyone wrote, thanks again!
Logged
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Up
« previous
next »
Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
»
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER
»
DISEASE & PEST CONTROL
»
Wax moths destroyed hive
anything